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Londonderry (UK Parliament constituency)

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Not to be confused with Londonderry City (UK Parliament constituency).
For other constituencies of the same name, see Londonderry (disambiguation).

Londonderry
Former county constituency
for the House of Commons
1801–1885
Replaced byNorth Londonderry and South Londonderry
1922–1983
Created fromLondonderry City, North Londonderry and South Londonderry
Replaced byEast Londonderry and Foyle

Londonderry was a Parliamentary Constituency in the House of Commons and also a constituency in elections to various regional bodies. It was replaced in boundary changes in 1983. It returned two MPs 1801–1885 and one 1922–1983.

Boundaries

The constituency consisted, in 1801–1885, of the whole of County Londonderry, except for the Parliamentary boroughs of Coleraine and Londonderry City.

The seat was re-created in 1922. As part of the consequences of the devolved Stormont Parliament for Northern Ireland, the number of MPs in the Westminster Parliament was drastically cut. The seat was focused on County Londonderry. It comprised the Administrative county of Londonderry and the County Borough of Londonderry.

In 1951, it was one of the last four seats to be uncontested in a United Kingdom general election.

In 1983 the number of seats for Northern Ireland was increased from 12 to 17 and Londonderry was split in two, forming Foyle and East Londonderry.

Members of Parliament

1801–1885

Election First member First party Second member Second party
1801 rowspan="4" style="background-color: Template:Tories (British political party)/meta/color" | Hon. Charles Stewart[1] Tory style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" | Vacant
1801 by-election style="background-color: Template:Tories (British political party)/meta/color" | Sir George Hill, 2nd Bt Tory
1802 style="background-color: Template:Tories (British political party)/meta/color" | Lord George Beresford Tory
1812 rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:Tories (British political party)/meta/color" | Hon. William Ponsonby Tory
1814 by-election rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:Tories (British political party)/meta/color" | Alexander Stewart Tory
1815 by-election rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:Tories (British political party)/meta/color" | George Robert Dawson Tory
1818 style="background-color: Template:Tories (British political party)/meta/color" | Alexander Robert Stewart Tory
1830 style="background-color: Template:Tories (British political party)/meta/color" | Theobald Jones Tory[2][3] style="background-color: Template:Tories (British political party)/meta/color" | Sir Robert Bateson, 1st Bt Tory[2][3]
1834 rowspan="4" style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" rowspan="4" | Conservative[2][3] style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Conservative[2][3]
1842 by-election style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Robert Bateson Conservative[3]
1844 by-election style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Thomas Bateson Conservative[3]
1857 by-election rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | James Johnston Clark Conservative[3]
1857 style="background-color: Template:Radicals (UK)/meta/color" | Samuel MacCurdy Greer Radical[4][5]
1859 style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Robert Peel Dawson Conservative[3] style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Sir Frederick Heygate, 2nd Bt Conservative[3]
1874 style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color" | Richard Smyth Liberal[3] rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color" | Hugh Law Liberal[3]
1878 by-election rowspan="3" style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color" | Sir Thomas McClure, 1st Bt Liberal[3]
1881 by-election style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color" | Andrew Porter Liberal[3]
1884 by-election style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color" | Samuel Walker Liberal[3]
1885 constituency abolished: see North Londonderry & South Londonderry

1922–1983

Election Member Party
style="background-color: Template:Ulster Unionist Party/meta/color" | 1922 Sir Malcolm Macnaghten Ulster Unionist
style="background-color: Template:Ulster Unionist Party/meta/color" | 1929 by-election Sir Ronald Ross Ulster Unionist
style="background-color: Template:Ulster Unionist Party/meta/color" | 1951 by-election William Wellwood Ulster Unionist
style="background-color: Template:Ulster Unionist Party/meta/color" | 1955 Robin Chichester-Clark Ulster Unionist
style="background-color: Template:Ulster Unionist Party/meta/color" | February 1974 William Ross Ulster Unionist
1983 constituency abolished: see Foyle & East Londonderry

Notes

  1. ^ known as Sir Charles Stewart from 1813
  2. ^ a b c d Smith, Henry Stooks (1842). The Register of Parliamentary Contested Elections (Second ed.). Simpkin, Marshall & Company. p. 233. Retrieved 6 October 2018 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Cite error: The named reference walker was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Triumphant Return of the Conservative". Tyrone Constituion. 13 March 1857. p. 2. Retrieved 6 October 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |subscription= ignored (|url-access= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ "Correspondence". Belfast News-Letter. 13 April 1857. p. 1. Retrieved 6 October 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |subscription= ignored (|url-access= suggested) (help)

Westminster elections

Elections in the 1970s

General Election 1979: Londonderry
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
UUP William Ross 31,592 49.7
SDLP Hugh Logue 19,185 30.2
Alliance Arthur Barr 5,830 9.2
Irish Independence Fergus McAteer 5,489 8.6
Republican Clubs Eamonn Melaugh 888 1.4
Independent Labour William Webster 639 1.0
Majority 12,407 19.5
Turnout 63,623 67.1
UUP hold Swing
General Election October 1974: Londonderry
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
UUP William Ross 35,138 54.4
SDLP John Hume 26,118 40.4
Republican Clubs Michael Montgomery 2,530 3.9
Independent Richard Foster 846 1.3
Majority 9,020 14.0
Turnout 64,632 69.3
UUP hold Swing
General Election February 1974: Londonderry
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
UUP William Ross 33,060 52.7
SDLP Hugh Logue 23,670 37.7
Republican Clubs Michael Montgomery 4,889 7.8
Independent Richard Foster 1,162 1.9
Majority 9,390 15.0
Turnout 62,781 68.1
UUP hold Swing
General Election 1970: Londonderry
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
UUP Robin Chichester-Clark 39,141 53.1
Unity Eddie McAteer 27,006 36.6
Derry Labour Eamonn McCann 7,565 10.3
Majority 12,135 16.5
Turnout 73,712 81.6
UUP hold Swing

Elections in the 1960s

General Election 1966: Londonderry
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
UUP Robin Chichester-Clark 34,729 58.1
Nationalist Paddy Gormley 22,167 37.1
Ind. Republican Neil Gillespie 2,860 4.8
Majority 12,562 21.0
Turnout 59,756 76.4
UUP hold Swing
General Election 1964: Londonderry
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
UUP Robin Chichester-Clark 37,700 64.1
Ind. Republican Hugh McAteer 21,123 35.9
Majority 16,577 28.1
Turnout 58,823 76.5
UUP hold Swing

Elections in the 1950s

General Election 1959: Londonderry
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
UUP Robin Chichester-Clark 37,529 73.0
Sinn Féin Manus Canning 13,872 27.0
Majority 23,657 46.0
Turnout 51,401 70.2
UUP hold Swing
General Election 1955: Londonderry
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
UUP Robin Chichester-Clark 35,673 64.5
Sinn Féin Manus Canning 19,640 35.5
Majority 16,033 29.0
Turnout 55,313 77.6
UUP hold Swing
In the Londonderry by-election, 1951[1] and the United Kingdom general election, 1951, William Wellwood was elected unopposed.
General Election 1950: Londonderry
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
UUP Ronald Ross 36,602 62.6
Ind. Republican Hugh McAteer 21,880 37.4
Majority 14,722 25.2
Turnout 58,482 80.7
UUP hold Swing

Elections in the 1940s

General Election 1945: Londonderry
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
UUP Ronald Ross 40,214 50.8 N/A
Nationalist Denis Cavanagh 37,561 47.4 N/A
NI Labour Milton Gordon 1,471 1.9 N/A
Majority 2,653 3.4 N/A
Turnout 79,246 88.1 N/A
UUP hold Swing N/A

Elections in the 1930s

In the 1931 and 1935 general elections, Ronald Deane Ross was elected unopposed.

Elections in the 1920s

In the Londonderry by-election, 1929 and the United Kingdom general election, 1929, Ronald Deane Ross was elected unopposed.
General Election 1924: Londonderry
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
UUP Malcolm Macnaghten 30,875 82.9 N/A
Sinn Féin Charles MacWhinney 5,869 15.8 N/A
Ind. Unionist William Galt 517 1.4 N/A
Majority 25,006 67.1 N/A
Turnout 37,261 59.1 N/A
UUP hold Swing N/A
In the United Kingdom general election, 1923, Malcolm Macnaghten was elected unopposed.
General Election 1922: Londonderry
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
UUP Malcolm Macnaghten 30,743 75.7 N/A
Ind. Nationalist
  • Edmund Loftus MacNaghten
 9,861 24.3 N/A
Majority 20,882 51.4 N/A
Turnout 40,604 63.9 N/A
UUP hold Swing N/A
  • anti-partition

Elections in the 1880s

By-election, 10 Jan 1884: Londonderry (1 seat)[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Samuel Walker Unopposed
Registered electors 5,798
Liberal hold
By-election, 6 Dec 1881: Londonderry (1 seat)[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Andrew Porter 2,701 56.1 −17.7
Conservative Samuel Wilson 2,054 42.7 +16.5
Home Rule Charles John Dempsey 56 1.2 N/A
Majority 647 13.4 +3.4
Turnout 4,811 81.6 −5.0 (est)
Registered electors 5,896
Liberal hold Swing −17.1
By-election, 19 May 1880: Londonderry (1 seat)[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Hugh Law Unopposed
Registered electors 5,853
Liberal hold
General Election 1880: Londonderry (2 seats)[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Hugh Law 3,012 37.5 +6.9
Liberal Thomas McClure 2,912 36.3 +2.5
Conservative Samuel Maxwell Alexander 2,107 26.2 −9.5
Majority 805 10.0 −0.8
Turnout 5,069 (est) 86.6 (est) +4.2
Registered electors 5,853
Liberal hold Swing +5.8
Liberal hold Swing +3.6

Elections in the 1870s

By-election, 18 Dec 1878: Londonderry (1 seat)[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Thomas McClure 2,479 56.9 −7.5
Conservative Samuel Maxwell Alexander 1,878 43.1 +7.4
Majority 601 13.8 +3.0
Turnout 4,357 76.3 −6.1
Registered electors 5,714
Liberal hold Swing −7.5
  • Caused by Smyth's death.
General Election 1874: Londonderry (2 seats)[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Richard Smyth 2,988 33.8 N/A
Liberal Hugh Law 2,701 30.6 N/A
Conservative Robert Jackson Alexander 1,747 19.8 N/A
Conservative John Barré Beresford 1,402 15.9 N/A
Majority 954 10.8 N/A
Turnout 4,419 (est) 82.4 (est) N/A
Registered electors 5,362
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing N/A
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing N/A

Elections in the 1860s

General Election 1868: Londonderry (2 seats)[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Robert Peel Dawson Unopposed
Conservative Frederick Heygate Unopposed
Registered electors 5,582
Conservative hold
Conservative hold
General Election 1865: Londonderry (2 seats)[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Robert Peel Dawson Unopposed
Conservative Frederick Heygate Unopposed
Registered electors 5,512
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1850s

General Election 1859: Londonderry (2 seats)[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Robert Peel Dawson 2,628 38.2 +0.7
Conservative Frederick Heygate 2,468 35.8 +9.7
Liberal Samuel MacCurdy Greer 1,790 26.0 −10.4
Majority 678 9.8 +8.8
Turnout 4,338 (est) 83.8 (est) +20.6
Registered electors 5,178
Conservative hold Swing +3.2
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing +7.7
General Election 1857: Londonderry (2 seats)[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative James Johnston Clark 2,404 37.5 −0.5
Radical Samuel MacCurdy Greer 2,339 36.4 +8.9
Conservative Henry Bruce 1,676 26.1 −8.5
Turnout 3,210 (est) 63.2 (est) −18.6
Registered electors 5,081
Majority 65 1.0 −6.1
Conservative hold Swing +2.5
Majority 663 10.3 N/A
Radical gain from Conservative Swing +9.0
By-election, 9 March 1857: Londonderry[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative James Johnston Clark 2,600 64.1 −8.5
Radical Samuel MacCurdy Greer 1,457 35.9 +8.4
Majority 1,143 28.2 +21.1
Turnout 4,057 79.8 −2.0
Registered electors 5,081
Conservative hold Swing −8.5
  • Caused by Bateson's resignation.
General Election 1852: Londonderry (2 seats)[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Thomas Bateson 2,098 38.0 N/A
Conservative Theobald Jones 1,909 34.6 N/A
Radical Samuel MacCurdy Greer 1,518 27.5 N/A
Majority 391 7.1 N/A
Turnout 3,522 (est) 81.8 (est) N/A
Registered electors 4,305
Conservative hold Swing N/A
Conservative hold Swing N/A
By-election, 13 March 1852: Londonderry[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Thomas Bateson Unopposed
Conservative hold

Politics and history of the constituency

From its inception Londonderry had a unionist majority, though by the 1970s the nationalist vote was approaching 40% in some elections.

In 1974 the Ulster Unionist Party repudiated the Sunningdale Agreement and so did not reselect Robin Chichester-Clark, who had been a Minister in the government of Edward Heath. Instead they ran William Ross, who held the seat until 1983. He was then elected for the new East Londonderry.

For the history of the area post 1983, please see Foyle (UK Parliament constituency) and East Londonderry.

References

  1. ^ "1951 By Election Results". Archived from the original on 25 February 2012. Retrieved 12 August 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Walker, B.M., ed. (1978). Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801-1922. Dublin: Royal Irish Academy. ISBN 0901714127.
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